More and more hospital and health system CIOs are becoming involved in strategic and business decisions at their organizations as the role of CIO changes from strictly an IT manager to an indispensible member of the C-suite. Does this shift mean it's now more important for a CIO to have a business background rather than an IT background?
Below, three CIOs share their thoughts.
Jon P. Burns. Senior Vice President and CIO of the University of Maryland Medical System (Baltimore).
Having a solid understanding of the complexity of various IT environments is very important. However, I believe it is more critical in the evolving U.S. healthcare delivery model to have greater business acumen than [to be] the technology expert. Advanced IT comes at a significant expense to the organization. The CIO must be able to work with business/clinical leaders to drive value and opportunity through the use of these investments. So, when the day is over, it is not about the technology; but what you do with it that counts.
The CIO must be able to partner with the organizational leaders to aid in the development of business strategy, create new opportunities and sources of revenue, lower the cost of care and manage a more efficient operation. The CIO must also run his/her part of the organization like a business so that the delivery of services is effective and as efficient as possible, and translate technology investment to value in running the enterprise.
The technology is always important, but sound business skills will win the day.
Kane Francetich. CIO of Gritman Medical Center (Moscow, Idaho).
The simple answer is that both are important, but I would say that, of the two choices, a business background is more important. Personally, I think having a well-rounded background is the most important. Over my years as a CIO, I have had administrative responsibility for areas other than the traditional IT, telecom and health information management. These include clinical departments such as pharmacy, laboratory, home health, cardiopulmonary and the sleep lab, as well as non-clinical, non-IT departments such as engineering, environmental services, registration and risk management. These experiences, along with my initial clinical experience in healthcare 25 years ago as a respiratory therapist, allow me to have a well-rounded background that I tap into every day. IT saturates every nook and cranny of healthcare and a CIO needs to have insight into a very broad cross-section of the business to successfully lead the organization.
Laishy Williams-Carlson. CIO of Bon Secours Health System (Marriottsville, Md.).
My two cents…is that a business background is more helpful. My background is financial, and a few decades ago I was the controller in one of our hospitals; that background has enabled me to think like a business person and an operator focused on, "What is the reason to do this, what is the payback, how do I make the case to operations?" versus, "Isn't this a cool new technology."
Notable is that the question differentiates between "business" and "IT." Assuming "business" includes clinical or finance operations in a healthcare organization, I would definitely vote for business. To serve in my role effectively, it is imperative to understand how we are paid, how we will be paid, how clinical operations work. With great reliance on our CTO for technical solutions, I am able to focus on how IT can meet business needs and be an innovator as my primary function. Additionally, during annual budget cycles, my financial background serves me well.
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